Verbena plant named‘KLEVP05344’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Verbena  plant named ‘KLEVP05344’, characterized by its mounding to cascading and compact plant habit; freely branching habit; freely flowering habit; intense red purple-colored flowers that are held above and beyond the foliage; and resistance to Powdery Mildew.

Botanical designation: Verbena hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘KLEVP05344’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Verbena, botanically known as Verbena hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘KLEVEP05344’.

The new Verbena is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Camden, New South Wales, Australia. The objective of the breeding program is to create new disease-resistant Verbena cultivars with compact plant habit and attractive flower coloration.

The new Verbena originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in 2002 in Camden, New South Wales, Australia of a proprietary seedling selection of Verbena hybrida identified as code number 00.17.3, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary seedling selection of Verbena hybrida identified as code number 00.8.1, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Verbena was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Camden, New South Wales, Australia in 2002.

Asexual reproduction of the new Verbena by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Stuttgart, Germany since 2002 has shown that the unique features of this new Verbena are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar KLEVEP05344 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment and cultural practices such as temperature, daylength and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘KLEVEP05344’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘KLEVEP05344’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Verbena:

-   -   1. Mounding to cascading and compact plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit.     -   3. Freely flowering habit.     -   4. Intense red purple-colored flowers that are held above and         beyond the foliage.     -   5. Resistant to Powdery Mildew.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the parent selections. Plants of the new Verbena differ primarily from plants of the parent selections in flower color as plants of the parent selections were dark purple in color.

Plants of the new Verbena can be compared to plants of the Verbena cultivar KLEVE03321, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,434. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Stuttgart, Germany, plants of the new Verbena differed primarily from plants of the cultivar KLEVE03321 in flower color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Verbena, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Verbena. The photograph comprises a close-up view of typical flowering plants of ‘KLEVEP05344’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The photograph and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown in Stuttgart, Germany in a glass-covered greenhouse during the spring and summer and under conditions which closely approximate commercial production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 18° C. to 22° C., night temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 18° C. and maximum light levels ranged from 20,000 lux to 55,000 lux. Plants were pinched one time and were about four to five months old when the photograph and the description were taken. In the description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Verbena hybrida cultivar KLEVEP05344. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of             Verbena hybrida identified as code number 00.17.3, not             patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary seedling selection of             Verbena hybrida identified as code number 00.8.1, not             patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at 20° C. to             22° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at 20° C. to             22° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting, summer.—About 60 days at             20° C. to 22° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting, winter.—About 70 days at             20° C. to 22° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; pale white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Moderate branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit.—Initially upright, them mounding to cascading             plant habit; compact growth habit. Freely branching habit             with about five primary lateral branches per plant each with             numerous secondary branches; pinching enhances lateral             branch development; dense and bushy growth habit. Moderately             vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 10 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 40 cm. -   Lateral branch description:     -   -   Length.—About 20 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 2.5 mm.         -   Internode length.—About 3 cm to 5 cm.         -   Strength.—Weak.         -   Texture.—Pubescent.         -   Color.—141D. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple.         -   Length.—About 3 cm.         -   Width.—About 3 cm.         -   Shape.—Deeply dissected.         -   Apex.—Cuspidate.         -   Base.—Obtuse.         -   Margin.—Deeply dissected.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing foliage, upper and lower surfaces: 141C.             Fully expanded foliage, upper and lower surfaces: 141C;             venation, 141C.         -   Petiole.—Length: About 2 cm. Diameter: About 0.2 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color,             upper and lower surfaces: 141C. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower arrangement and habit.—Salverform flowers arranged in             hemispherical terminal umbels; flowers face upward or             outward. Freely flowering habit with about 20 flowers per             inflorescence.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants flower continuously from             the spring through the fall in Germany.         -   Flower longevity.—Flowers last about two weeks on the plant.             Flowers not persistent.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowers.—Appearance: Flared trumpet, corolla fused,             five-parted. Diameter: About 2 cm. Depth (height): About             2 cm. Tube length: About 2 cm. Throat diameter: About 1 mm.             Tube diameter, base: About 0.5 mm.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 2 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm.             Shape: Elongate, oblong. Color: 67D.         -   Corolla.—Arrangement: Single whorl of five fused petals.             Petal lobe length: About 1 cm. Petal lobe width: About 1 cm.             Petal lobe shape: Roughly cordate. Petal lobe apex:             Emarginate to cordate. Petal margin: Entire. Petal texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Petal,             when opening, upper surface: 67C. Petal, when opening, lower             surface: 68D. Petal, fully opened, upper surface: 67C to             67D; color becoming closer to 68D with development. Petal,             fully opened, lower surface: 68B. Throat: 65D. Tube: 67D.         -   Calyx.—Arrangement: One single narrow calyx tube per flower             with five fused sepals. Sepal length: About 1.5 cm. Sepal             width: About 2 mm. Sepal shape: Lanceolate. Sepal apex:             Acute. Sepal base: Obtuse. Sepal margin: Serrate. Sepal             texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent; rough. Sepal             color, upper surface: 67D. Sepal color, lower surface: 68D.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 0.1 mm.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Pubescent; rough.             Color: 141C.         -   Pedicels.—Flowers are sessile.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity/arrangement: Four per             flower, adnate to corolla tube. Anther shape: Elliptic.             Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther color: 142D. Pollen             amount: None observed. Pistils: Minute. Quantity: One per             flower. Stigma shape: Lanceolate. Stigma color: 142D. Style             color: 142D. Ovary color: 142D.         -   Fruits/seed.—Fruit and seed development have not been             observed. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Verbena have been observed     to tolerate temperatures from about 1° C. to about 40° C. -   Pathogen/pest resistance: Plants of the new Verbena have been     observed to be resistant to Powdery Mildew. Plants of the new     Verbena have not been observed to be resistant to pests and other     pathogens common to Verbenas. 

1. A new and distinct Verbena plant named ‘KLEVEP05344’, as illustrated and described. 